Reel cones for printing paper



p 959 A. E. MCDOUGALL ETAL 2,903,200

REEL CONES FOR PRINTING PAPER Filed Oct. 18, 1955 l..- 7 29i IV United States Patent REEL CONES FOR. PRINTING PAPER Alexander Edgar McDougall, Bushey, and Victor Roland McD'ougall, near Farnborough, England Application October 18, 1955, Serial No. 541,275

Claims priority, application Great Britain October 26, 1-954 3 Claims. (Cl-.. 242-682) The present invention concerns so-called reel cones which are used toform a connection between the tube forming the central support for a roll of printing paper and a controllable rotary member incorporated in a reel stand. Reel stands are made in various forms and usually include a rotation controlling device such as a friction brake and/or a torque motor;

It has previously been customary to press or drive the reel cone into the end portion of the tube, usually of cardboard or a synthetic resin plastic material, so that it becomes frictionally engaged therein, but this causes excessive expansion and deformation or splitting of the tube endportion. The thus damaged tube cannot normally be re-used for winding paper rolls of axial length equal to that of the original roll, it being necessary to cut. to waste 'at least the amount of the damaged portion. Apart from this there is a difficulty of control which occurs when a reel cone works loose. This difliculty often leads to wastage of paper since it may prove impossible to use all the paper on a roll having a loose centre; and even when little or no slipping takes place the paper may itself be locally damaged by deformation transmitted through the end portion of the tube.

An object of the present invention is to provide a reel cone which obviates the foregoing disadvantages, avoiding damage to the tube and thereby enabling its re-use time after time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a reel cone, which includes a body having the usual socket or other attachment adapted to engage the rotary member of a reel stand, and an expandible tube-engaging means carried by the body and adapted to fit freely within the outer end portion of the tube in a contracted condition and after being expanded to be engaged firmly therein over a substantial area of contact whilst being securely attached to the body. The expandible tubeengaging means is preferably substantially cylindrical in its contracted condition and may for example be of rubber. The expansion in diameter may conveniently be accompanied by an axial displacement and/or cont-raction which on tightening may serve to improve or maintain endwise engagement between the tube and a conical surface of the reel cone whilst when loosened serves to effect disengagement therebetween.

Expansion is preferably effected by axially compressing a cylindrical rubber member constituting the tube engaging means, by action of a screw operating between two relatively displaceable rigid parts of the reel cone. Means are also preferably included for limiting the amount of such axial compression and there may be other means for preventing complete separation by disengagement of the screw.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an axial longitudinal section on the line I-I of Fig. 2, partly in elevation;

ice

Fig. 2 is a left hand end view;

Fig. 3 is a right hand end view; and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV--IV of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, a reel cone constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises a hollow flanged body 12 adapted to be engaged on the spindle end 13a forming part of the rotary member of a reel stand 13, and an expandible rubber cylinder 14. carried by the body 12. The reel cone is adapted to fit freely within the outer end portion of a tube 15, upon which aroll of paper (not shown) has been wound, when the cylinder 14 is in a contracted condition as shown in full lines in Fig. 1. On expansion to a position indicated by chain dotted lines, in a manner to be described, the rubber cylinder 14 is engaged firmly within. the tube 15 over a substantial area of contact.

The body 12 is flanged externally at 12a and adjacent to this flange presents an externally frusto-conical surface 125. The flange 12a is interrupted by two chordal. flats 12c which. enable the body 12 to be gripped such. as when engaging or disengaging the body with or from the reel centre or reel stand rotary member... The body is axially bored at 12d with an axial counterbore 12a, is radially bored at 12 and provided with three tapped. bores 12g which extend in a direction parallel to the axis of the body. Beyond the frusto-conical portion 12b the body is externally cylindrical at 12h, the diameter of this portion being slightly less than the internal diameter of the tube 15.

A compression screw 16 having a square. head 16a, a smaller cylindrical end portion 16b, 8. larger cylindrical end portion and a cylindrical shank 16d is retained in the axial position shown, relative to the body 12 by a retaining plate 17 having a bore through which the screw shank 16d passes freely and which is secured to the body by means of three Allen screws 18. The screw 16 is preferably acme-threaded.

The dimensioning of the screw portions 16b and 160 relative to that of the bores 12d and 12a in the body is such that the screw is freely rotatable within the body by means of a key or spanner applied to its head 16a but is substantially incapable of axial displacement therein. The radial bore 12 serves as an oil introduction hole.

In addition to three counterbored bores receiving the attachment screws 18 the plate 17 also has three tapped bores in which are engaged threaded end portions of guide rods 19 which are spaced at equal angular intervals on a pitch circle coaxial with the body 12 alternately with the screws 18.

The rubber cylinder 14 has an axial bore to accept the screw shank 16d and three bores disposed at spaced intervals around a coaxial pitch circle and dimensioned to accept the guide rods 19 freely fitting therein.

An end plate 20 has an axial tapped bore 20a within which the screw 16 engages, this bore being counterbored at 2011 to accept part of the axial length of the screw shank 16:1. The end plate also has three bores 20c appropriately positioned to receive the end portions of the three guide rods 19. This end plate has an externally cylindrical surface 20d of a diameter substantially less than that of the tube 15 and a frusto-conical end portion 20c.

A stop nut 21 is secured by a pin 22 at the end of the screw 16.

In use the reel cone, in the contracted condition as shown, is introduced into the end portion of the tube forming the center of the roll of paper. A box spanner is applied to the square end 16a of the screw which is rotated within the body thereby drawing the end plate, which is prevented from rotating relative to the body by the guide rods, towards the body until a terminal position of the shank 16d within the counterbore 20b obtains. This movement of the end plate applies axial compression to the rubber cylinder 14 deforming its initially cylindrical external surface into-a larger. diameter as shown in chain-dotted lines most of which bears firmly upon the interior surface of the tube 15. The accumulative effect of axial length reduction of the rubber, after the first parts of this have begun to bear on the tube, gives rise to a force tending to pull the engaged region towards the body and hence causing more secure engagement of the frusto-conical portion of the body in the tube end. The reverse effect obtains on unscrewing the screw 16 within the body, namely, before the rubber cylinder becomes disengaged from the tube the frusto-conical part of the body is urged away from the tube end in which it was engaged.

A threaded driving pin 23 engaged in a radial tapped bore in the body 12 may be provided for ensuring positive engagement between the body and the rotary member of the reel stand.

While We have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

We claim:

1. A reel cone for connecting the central tube in a paper roll to a rotary member on a reel stand, said reel cone comprising a body member of smaller diameter at one end than the other, which latter end is adapted for connection to said rotary member, an end plate carried by said smaller diameter end of said body member in spaced relation therewith, a cylindrical expandible tube-engaging element mounted between said smaller diameter end of said body member and said end plate and adapted, together with said smaller diameter end and said plate for insertion within the central tube in a paper roll, guide means extending from said body member and projecting through said element to said end plate to prevent relative rotation between said member and said plate, and displacement means also extending from said body member through said element and projecting into said end plate and arranged for actuation to move said plate along said guide means to alter the spacing of said plate from said body member, whereby, on insertion of the reel cone in the central tube of a paper roll, actuation of said displacement means causes said element to be compressed between said smaller diameter end of said body member and said end plate and thereby to expand and engage its cylindrical surface against the central tube, whereafter further actuation of said displacement means causes a tendency for l the reel cone to be pulled into the central tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,878,264 Clayborn Sept. 20, 1932 1,964,585 Larsen June 26, 1934 2,066,659 Templeton et al. Jan. 5, 1938 2,134,475 Green Oct. 25, 1938 2,483,143 McConnell et al. Sept. 27, 1949 2,733,022 Grody Jan. 31, 1956 

